The apartment sits in the Getty, a new luxury building on the corner of West 24th Street and 10th Avenue, and was bought by billionaire Robert Smith, founder of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, according to the Wall Street Journal. It originally spanned the two top floors, but Smith, 55, also purchased the unit below to combine the residences, and it now totals about 10,000 square feet. The penthouse comprises two master bedrooms (the main one covers the entire 11th floor), four en suite bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two kitchens and two great rooms — one made even greater by its 22-feet-high floor-to-ceiling windows. Stepping in feels like you’re like floating over Chelsea, a feat in a building just 12 stories high. It also has a private rooftop terrace, with a view down 10th Avenue right to the Statue of Liberty, and a pool.

The penthouse, as well as the entire building, is designed by Peter Marino, who’s made his career as the go-to architect for the world’s top luxury brands. One of his biggest clients is LVMH; he’s worked on flagship stores for Dior, Hublot and Louis Vuitton, among others.

"In the world of ultra-billionaires, he's the stamp of approval for high-end design," Ran Korolik, EVP and partner at real estate developer Victor Group, says of Marino. And the architect was sure to bring his mastery of natural light and bold textures into the Getty.

Starting with the exterior, 167 window panes — all different sizes — make up the checkerboard metal and glass façade of the building, developed by the Victor Group and Shvo. (Shvo founder Michael Shvo yesterday settled an unrelated case that alleged he had evaded paying more than $1.4 million in taxes.) A striking gray onyx from Italy is in the penthouse's bathroom, and the kitchens are outfitted with Kinon, a hand-cast resin. Nothing but custom-made will do here.

A rendering of one of the four other residences in the Getty.Courtesy of Peter Marino

Location played a big role in getting Marino on board, particularly the surrounding art galleries, says Korolik. (The Gagosian is on the same block as the Getty.) Marino is an art collector himself, counting Andy Warhol as a mentor (one of his first commissions after starting his practice was Warhol’s apartment), and he saw the project as a chance to add to the neighborhood’s storied relationship with the art world.

Getting Marino involved in the project was a smart move. The so-called starchitect phenomenon has proved to be successful marketing technique, says Jonathan Miller, president of property appraiser Miller Samuel. “It essentially allows a building to enter the super-luxury territory,” he says.

Consider that the number of new luxury properties being built in New York is rising quarter after quarter; particularly in West Chelsea, where Miller says “the High Line has been an anchor point for new developments," it takes an extravagant approach to stand out. But it doesn’t necessarily mean going bigger — at least not literally.

Four blocks north of the Getty stands 520 West 28th by Zaha Hadid, one of the late architect’s last works. (Its own three-story penthouse was listed for $50 million. It’s no longer on the market, but there is no sign a deal has been reached to sell it.) Meanwhile, Hudson Yards has become the magnum opus of mega-developments.

Not to mention Frank Ghery’s IAC building and 100 11th Avenue by Jean Nouvel, completed in 2007 and 2010, respectively, which set the standard for the area.

New names, hoping to make their mark, are also choosing to do so in Chelsea. Jardim by Isay Weinfeld and Soori High Line by Soo K. Chan, the architects’ first works in New York, are a few blocks up from the Getty.

Design by Glenda Toma.

Since the High Line completed its transformation from an abandoned train track into an urban oasis in 2014 (thanks to an earlier approval to rezone the area), real estate prices in the area have shot up. StreetEasy found in 2016 that apartments near the High Line were twice as expensive as those one block east when it compared median real estate prices. And Chelsea continues to be one of New York’s priciest neighborhoods.

That’s good news for the developers of the Getty, although it seems they’re not all that concerned about sales.

Much about the project has been kept under wraps since the site (formerly home to a Getty gas station) was purchased in May 2014 for $23.5 million, but construction is expected to be completed next month. There are just five residences in the building — each featuring a unique layout and stone, marble and wood sourced from around the world — starting at roughly $16 million. Sales are being handled by brokers Adam Modlin of The Modlin Group and Tal and Oren Alexander of Douglas Elliman. The triplex is the only one that has been sold so far, but a $59 million price tag isn't too shabby of a start.

Currently covering real estate, retail and food. I was previously the assistant online editor for Forbes Asia and Forbes Opinion channel. Prior to Forbes, I was a Robert L. Bartley Fellow at the Wall Street Journal. I graduated from New York University.